Cathode-ray tube socket



Oct. 6, 1953 5, K5 M 2,654,8 71

CATHODE-RAY TUBE socxm Filed Now/.28, 1949 lnventor: Donald B. Ke im,

His Abbobney.

Patented Oct. 6, 1953 CATHODE-RAY TUBE SOCKET Donald B. Keim, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation oi New York Application November 28, 1949, Serial No. 129,828

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to electrical sockets, and, more particularly, to electrical sockets which are adapted for electrical contact-making engagement with the base pins of an electron discharge device. While my invention is of general utility, it is particularly suitable for making electrical contact with the active pins of a cathode ray viewing device.

In certain devices of the electron discharge type, provision is made for a relatively large number of contact pins in the base thereof, Whereas only a few contact pins are actually connected to the internal electrodes of the device. Such a situation is found in the cathode ray tube art wherein it is standard practice to utilize a duodecimal type base, having space for 12 contact pins, although only a small group of adjacent pins need be energized for proper operation of the device. To establish electrical contact with the cathode ray tube, it is customary to utilize a duodecimal type socket having provision for all 12 pins of a duodecimal type cathode ray tube. Such a socket is expensive, especially if it is to be used in competitively marketed television receivers, and is complicated and difficult to assemble. Accordingly, it is a primary object of my invention to provide a new and improved electrical socket which is particularly adapted for use with a cathode ray tube having a duodecimal type base.

It is another object of my invention to provide a new and improved electrical socket which is adapted for use with a duodecimal base cathode ray tube and which is relatively inexpensive.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a new and improved electrical socket for a duodecimal base cathode ray tube which is simple in construction and may be readily assembled in production.

The features of my invention which I believe to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. My invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of one form of my improved cathode ray tube socket mounted on a cathode ray tube, Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the assembly of Fig. 1 with the tube socket shown in vertical cross-section along the reference line 22 of Fig. 1 and Figs. 3 and 4 are similar front and side elevational view respectively of an alternative embodiment of my invention.

Referring now to Fig. l of the drawing, my improved cathode ray tube socket which is indicated generally at l, is therein illustrated as mounted in operative position upon the base portion 2 of a cathode ray tube of the duodecimal base type. In the drawing, the cathode ray tube is viewed from the base end thereof and it will be understood that the cathode ray tube is supported by means not shown in the drawing so that its neck and base portion extends horizontally. Such an arrangement is customary in conventional direct-view television receivers, wherein the screen of the cathode ray tube is disposed in a substantially vertical plane. The base of the cathode ray tube is provided with a central locating pin 3 which is provided with a longitudinally extending key portion 4.

In the duodecimal base 2 provision is made for a plurality of contact pins which are equiangularly spaced about the central locating pin 3 and which extend through bosses 6 formed in the base member 2. However, in present day cathode ray tubes, which utilize electromagnetic scanning coils which are exterior to the cathode ray tube, only five contact pins 5a-5c adjacent the key portion 4 are utilized for electrical connection to the interior electrodes of the cathode ray tube. The remainder of the contact pin positions remain unused and in most instances these pins are not brought out through the base. In all cases, those ones of the bosses 5 which are adjacent each end of the active group of contact pins 5a-5e, that is, the bosses l, are conventionally left blank, as shown, and no contact pins are present in this area.

In order to provide an electrical socket which will establish electrical contact with the active pins of the base 2 and yet will be relatively inexpensive and simple in construction, my improved socket is provided with an annular segmental base portion I 0 which is of somewhat greater radial width than the corresponding dimension of the base 2. The base portion in is provided with fine spaced electrical receptacles IIa -I le which are positioned so as to make electrical contact with the corresponding active pins of the cathode ray tube base.

In order to prevent misalignment of the base portion relative to the active contact pins of the cathode ray tube, there is provided in the base H! a key Way portion ii, the key way' 12 being so positioned along the inner surface !3 of the annular segmental base portion It as to register With the key 4 of the cathode ray tube base. Thus, proper registering between electrical receptacles Ha-l is and the corresponding active 3 contact pins 5a-5e is assured by proper registering of the key way I2 with the key 4.

In order further to prevent misalignment of the cathode ray socket with the base of the cathode ray tube base, the base portion is provided with end portions i which overhang the area which-would be occupied by the next adjacent'contact pin, By such an arrangement, the electrical receptacles cannot be engaged with any of the contact pins unless there are no contact pins immediately beneath thewoverhanging end portions 15. Such a situation obtains only when the base portion is properly reg'istered withrespect to the active contact pins of'the'cathod'e ray tube base. Otherwise, as will be apparent from inspection of Fig. 1, there would :be :three angular positions of socket 1 relative to tube base 2 in which the key 4 would be out of engagement with the inner periphery of base portion I0 and inwhich it would the-possible to make improper engagement of one or more of the contact pins and receptacles. Specifically, without the overhanging end portions :5 it would be possible to makeimproper engagement of pin 5a with receptacleQHe, or of pins 5d andie with receptacles 1 Ha and Nb, or of pin lie with receptacle Ila. However, by employing boththe keying arrangementand the overhanging end portions 15, the socketl may only bemounted'on'thecathoderay tube base when they have the relative angular positions shown intthe drawing.

In Fig. 2 there'is illustrated a side elevational view of my improved cathode ray tube socket mounted in-positionon the base portion 2 of the cathode ray tube, the socket being. shown in vertical cross-section along the 1ine2-2 of Fig. 1. This figure illustrates more :clearly the relative positioning'of the contact pin'5c, the key portion 4 of the cathoderay tube-base and the electrical receptacle Hctherefor. It 'is evident from an inspection-of :Fig; 2, that the key :portionfl extends outwardly .from the end of base .2 further than thecontact pins (i. e., further to the left as viewed in Fig. 2). Therefore, when the socket is pressed into engagement-with base 2,'the'key way, I2 of the base portion l0 must necessarily engage the key 4 before contact is made between receptacles and contact pins.

Fig. 2 also illustrates more clearly :the construction of electrical receptacles II which are provided with a terminal portion I4 having :a wire receiving opening I8 therein. The pin engaging portions of the receptacles I I and the terminal portion l4 thereof are-joined through an intermediate portion 16 which is positioned on the opposite side -of the base 10 and extends through apertures H to meet the terminal 14.

By such an arrangement, the receptacles are supported entirely bythe single base plate 10, the terminals [4 extending radially from the center thereof.

'To provide further protection against the misconnection of contact pins and receptacles and to the end that the conductors connected to the electrical socket may be readily cabled together, the alternative embodiment illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 may be employed. Certain portions of the structure of Figs. 3 and 4 are identical to those of Figs. 1 and 2 and hence have been identified by identical reference numerals. Therefore, further discussion thereof need not be made herein. In the alternative embodiment of Fig. 3, I provide a second annular segmental base member 20 which is similar in shape to the base member 40 and which is connected thereto by means of rivets 2| which are positioned in the outer corners of the base members. The base plate 20 is provided to prevent accidental electrical contact between the contact pins 5 and the intermediate portions [6 of the electrical receptaclespositioned between thebase ,plates I0 and .20. Tothis. end; the baserplatel 0 is proviiied with equiangularly spaced apertures 22 which are .of suitable size to admit the contact pin 5 but which do not expose the remaining portion of the electricalmeceptacle.

The terminal portions I4 of the electrical receptacles of :Fig. "3 .are arranged to extend rearwardly of 'thesocket base members so that conductors which are to be connected to the five active CDiIISLOf :the .cathode ray tube may be cabledv together as a single unit and may be readily connected to the terminal portions M of my cathode ray tube socket. Thus, the conductor portion-25of a conductor 26 may be-positioned within the aperture'i8 in the end of the terminal and secured thereto by means of soldering or the like. As is-more clearly illustrated in Fig. 3,*the conductors which are connected-to the terminal portions 14 of the electrical receptacles H may readily be grouped to form a single cable unit which may extend from the base portionofthe cathode ray tube to the electrical *chassis of' the television receiver.

From the foregoing it isseen that theinven tion makes it possible to provide-an'electrical socket for a duodecimal-based cathode ray tube which requires only'the relatively'small group "of active contact pins for the support andregister ing thereof with 'thelbase portion of the cathode ray tube. With this arrangement, the electrical socket for the cathode ray tube is of extremely low cost andrequiresrelativelysimple assembly in mass produced equipments, such as television receivers and the like. The-particular con-- struction described insures that proper alignment between the active pins of the cathode ray tubeabase and the electrical receptacles positionedonthe annular segmental electrical socketis'ob-- tainedbefore electrical contact is made.

While the invention has been describedbyreference to particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood that numerous modifications gmay be made by those skilled in .the art without departing from the invention. I therefore aim'in the appended claims .to cover:all such equivalent variations as come within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and {desire to secure by Letter Patent of the United States is:

Asectoral tubesocketzfor use with acathofde' ray 'tube. or the like, of the type having .provision .for .a plurality of equiangulai'ly spaced contact pins positioned on.an.arc of less thanaround a central keyed locating p-in, comprising an annular segmented base ,portionof. insulating material, the inner peripheral surface of said base portion provided with a reentrant keyway and.sha ped to conform to the contour of apart of said central keyed locating pin in only one position, said .reentrant keyway acting as barrier mean to facilitate alignment of said base portion with said tube baseinsaid one position, and :a plurality of equiangularly spaced electrical receptacles mounted and positioned onsaidbase portion to engage said contact pins in said one position. said base portion having end portions extending circumferentially beyond each outermost electrical receptacle an arcuate distance at least equal'td'the arouate distance between the centers of any two adjacent electrical receptacles, the radial edges of said extending end portions acting as barriers to prevent improper engagement of any of said contact pins with said electrical receptacles thereby permitting said electrical receptacles to engage said contact pins in only said one position.

DONALD B. KEIM.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Franklin Nov. 30, 1948 Chiuchiolo Oct. 25, 1949 Kelly et al. Nov. 14, 1950 Benton June 12, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany May 28, 1919 

